Interconnectedness
Words I Like -”I play chess all the time, I just have not moved a piece in many years.” -Josh Waitzkin
Outlier Mat Minute: Interconnectedness
The child chess prodigy, Josh Waitzkin, was recently on The Huberman Lab podcast. When the topic of coaching or training came up, Josh emphasized the idea of interconnectedness. Personally, I am working to apply the below 2 ideas to improve my coaching and training in jiu jitsu. I thought I would share them with you:
Universal Language: Instead of using jiu-jitsu specific words when teaching, try explaining things with common words. This helps students use what they learn on and off the mat.
Correcting Errors: Do not correct the error where it is occurring. Instead, identify the theme present in the error and work on that theme in other aspects of life. We will then build habits around that theme and eventually it will manifest itself in the area we were making the error.
In jiu jitsu, my current focus has been on staying on top when my attacks fail. I am starting to think of more universal language I can use when teaching this idea as well as ways I can practice this theme outside of jiu jitsu. I will report back after I have more concrete experiences, but I wanted to let you know what I am currently thinking about.
As promised, jiu-jitsu insights in under 1 minute!
P.S. Josh is the author of The Art of Learning and is currently working on a new book that will likely be called The Art of Training. I am not sure when it will be released, but I am looking forward to it.
Really interesting ideas here. I would love to see your experience with trying to force habits into your daily life around the idea of "staying on top".
This post reminds me of something in Josh's book. He talks about creating a "ritual" before a performance event. The idea is to find something that already allows you to get into a flow state and then create a routine before it. Once you get used to that routine, you start doing it before the performance event so that your mind thinks it's going to do the initial task and therefore enters a flow state (sorry if the explanation isn't quite clear).
If you write a book, that's something I'd definitely need, very excited!
I’m genuinely excited for The Art of Training. If it's anything like The Art of Learning, this could become a pivotal work for those of us pursuing mastery in both physical and mental disciplines.
I’ve found it far more effective to highlight what’s going well, and then offer a directional nudge toward what could be improved. Looking forward to how the upcoming book expands on that mindset.